Dutch professional footballers can be found in all corners of the world, from the spotlights of the major European leagues to the more adventurous jobs on other continents. In the Over de Grens section, Voetbalzone speaks weekly with a player who is active outside the national borders. This time focusing on Dilivio Hoffman, who left second divisionist TEC last month to play for the championship title in Kosovo with KF Ballkani.
By Chris Meijer
In fact, Dilivio Hoffman thought he would board the plane back to the Netherlands last month, somewhat disillusioned. Just before he was to fly home from Samsun, Turkey, the phone rang. On the other end of the line, agent Gunter Thiebaut sounded. A Kosovar club wanted to see him at work. Did he want to fly back to Antalya? “It was quite different, yes. I had set myself up to go back home to my family and girlfriend,” Hoffman confesses. “It was a great opportunity to become a professional football player again, at a great club. So why not? That is why I immediately flew back to Antalya.”
Hoffman had recently been to Antalya for an internship at Samsunspor. Via de Jan de Jonge – his former trainer at De Treffers, now Fuat Çapa’s assistant at Samsunpor – the 24-year-old attacker got a chance to train with the current number seven of the second level of Turkish football. “We had occasional contact, I congratulated him on his step. A few months later I sent an app to see if they needed any players and that’s why I was allowed to come on an internship,” says Hoffman. He made an impression during the internship period, because Samsunspor wanted to capture him.
However, Samsunspor no longer had a place to register foreign players. Only if a foreigner were to leave, Hoffman would be able to play matches. “So then I would have been sitting there without being able to play any matches. That wasn’t really an option, then you lose match rhythm.” In consultation with trainer Çapa – who in the past worked in the Netherlands at MVV Maastricht and RBC Roosendaal – Hoffman decided to return to the Netherlands to finish the season at TEC. “I was not disappointed, but it was a shame. I had been working on it for so long to become a professional football player again and then I finally succeed, but then again I don’t. Then you start thinking: what is the problem?”
Hoffman in one of the four games he played on behalf of FC Den Bosch in the Eerste Divisie.
Hoffman went through Excelsior’s youth academy, after which he played for FC Twente and FC Den Bosch before disappearing from professional football in 2019. Yet in the years when he played in amateur football for De Treffers and TEC, the belief that he could still turn pro, even though it got more difficult as he got older. “It certainly is,” Hoffman agrees. “It’s hard because you see other guys left and right making their debuts and finding new clubs. I worked hard and waited for my chance. I know myself that I could easily compete in the Kitchen Champion Division, but I never had that chance. The belief in myself was there. You want so badly, but it just won’t come. If it does, you’ll be so happy. I am very grateful to Alain Fiddelers, the agent with whom I started this process.”
There was no doubt when he was given the opportunity to complete an internship at KF Ballkani, the current number three of the Kosovar Superliga. “I knew nothing about Kosovo at all, I had no idea where I might end up,” Hoffman laughs. “But when you hear that you can play Conference League or possibly Champions League, you don’t hesitate anymore. That’s how your dream comes true. Via a different route, but you are still a professional footballer and that is what you want.” Hoffmann managed to quickly leave a good impression during the training camp in Antalya. “I trained for one day and then we immediately played a match. That went well, I gave two assists. Actually, after the second game I was told that they were satisfied and that I could stay. After that, everything went quickly in terms of paperwork and transfers.”
For the past two years, Hoffman played for second divisionist TEC.
After signing a contract that runs until mid-2024, Hoffman actually arrived in Kosovo for a week and a half. “I had a good feeling from day one. The players showed me the way and were there for me, I can still go to them if there is something. The trainer’s words expressed confidence, even though we have to communicate with someone who translates.” While several teammates do speak English, communication with Albanian trainer Ilir Daja is sometimes a bit difficult. “Although it is fine if we talk one-on-one with each other. He kind of expects the standard things from me in my position, you understand that when you’re a footballer.”
Or does Hoffman already speak Albanian or Serbian? “No, a few words. But certainly not fluent yet. I still have two years, don’t you? When I got here and heard the language, I thought: where have I ended up? I didn’t understand it at all,” Hoffman responds with a laugh. As a result, conversations with interested people in the street in the village of Suva Reka – south of the capital Pristina – sometimes go hand and foot. “The first day I was here, I was immediately told: ‘Hey, you’re the new player, aren’t you?’ Then you have a chat, even though people don’t speak English very well. They want to know who I am and they even approach me every now and then for a photo. That even happened at the airport.”
“Ballkani doesn’t really have a stadium, but it’s very alive. We have our own gym where you can go. The field is just pretty bad, it has to be renewed in two months. There is always someone ready if you need to go somewhere, I got a nice apartment. You will of course be told by the outside world that it is not as chic as in the Netherlands, I understand that. But it is also not the case that there is a lot of poverty. At least, I don’t have that feeling,” Hoffman says about his first impression of Kosovo. He is pleased with the level at Ballkani. “They work a little harder here. There is 100 percent training every day, with duels and slidings. It’s just all about everything. There’s also quite a bit of football in it, I’m often in the game. I was immediately reasonably good in the group, because with my speed and actions I also bring other qualities.”
Kosovo must be a stepping stone for Hoffman to a higher podium. “I have to do my best here, give everything and then see what comes my way. I’m just curious. First I have to play matches and score goals, then the clubs will come naturally,” he adds immediately. The battle for the Kosovar national title and with it a ticket for the first preliminary round of the Champions League awaits in the coming months. Ballkani is only one point behind leader FC Drita. With an assist in the 4-1 won home game against Dukagjini, Hoffman’s debut was promising. “It would be great if we could win that title. That would be great: from an amateur footballer suddenly to the preliminary round of the Champions League.”